Frequency Bands Used in The United States
| Current / Planned Technologies | Previous Technologies | Band | Frequency (MHz) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3G, 4G, MediaFlo, DVB-H | 700 | 698–806 | |
| SMR iDEN, ESMR CDMA (future), ESMR LTE (future) | 800 | 806–824 and 851–869 | |
| GSM, IS-95 (CDMA), 3G | AMPS, IS-136 (D-AMPS) | 850 | 824–849 and 869–894 |
| Unknown | 1400 | 1,392–1,395 and 1,432–1,435 | |
| GSM, IS-95 (CDMA), 3G, 4G | IS-136 (D-AMPS) | PCS | 1,850–1,910 and 1,930–1,990 |
| 3G, 4G | AWS | 1,710–1,755 and 2,110–2,155 | |
| 4G | BRS/EBS | 2,496–2,690 |
The usage of frequencies within the United States is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The US is then divided geographically into a number of Trading Areas. A mobile operator (or other interested parties) must bid on each trading area individually. A bidder can use the frequency spectrum for whatever purpose they want. Go to Wireless Advisor for a listing of the network operators for a given ZIP code.
The 869–894 MHz cellular band is divided into 2 frequency blocks (A and B). There are 306 Metropolitan Service Areas and 428 rural service areas. Each trading area consists of one or more counties.
The 1850–1990 MHz PCS band is divided into six frequency blocks (A through F). Each block is between 10 MHz and 30 MHz bandwidth. License (A or B) is granted for a Major Trading Areas (MTAs). License (C to F) is granted for a Basic Trading Areas (BTAs). There are 51 MTAs and 493 BTAs in the United States.
The AWS bands, auctioned in the summer of 2006, were for 1,710–1,755 MHz, and 2,110–2,155 MHz. The spectrum was divided into blocks: A blocks were for Cellular Market Areas, based on existing cellular (1G) licenses, and were 2 × 10 MHz. B and C blocks (2 × 10 MHz and 2 × 5 MHz respectively) were for Basic Economic Areas, larger than CMAs, usually comprising large portions of single states. D, E, and F blocks covered huge areas of the country, typically several states at a time, and covered 2 × 5 MHz for D and E blocks, 2 × 10 MHz for F.
The 700 MHz band was auctioned in early 2008 using spectrum previously used by television stations' analog broadcasts, with Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility winning the majority of available spectrum. Qualcomm and Echostar were winners of a significant amount of broadcast-oriented spectrum. Verizon Wireless has announced they are using the lower band of the 700 MHz spectrum to deploy their LTE network starting on Dec 5, 2010.
The SMR 800 MHz band was used exclusively for iDEN technology, however, Sprint Nextel is deploying CDMA and LTE technology on this band. As of 2 September 2011 (2011 -09-02), the FCC has approved several CDMA devices for use on the SMR band.
More bands are under consideration for auction by the FCC. These are currently used by DoD, NASA, and other government agencies.
Cellular and PCS bands are also used in other countries in the Americas.
Read more about this topic: Cellular Frequencies
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